


Choices

by God0fRa



Series: Septic Shenanigans [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Starting relationship, brief Chase, brief Robbie as well, soft, soft Anti™
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28443669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God0fRa/pseuds/God0fRa
Summary: Marvin was used to being in the back of attention when it came to the all the egos. Though, things turn odd when attention from two of his fellow egos starts to focus on him. Hero and demon, a choice that needs to be made. . .
Relationships: AntiMagic, Antisepticeye/Marvin, Antisepticeye/Marvin The Magnificent
Series: Septic Shenanigans [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977022
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	Choices

Rain. It always seems to rain on the nights he goes out for ingredients; never fails to be pouring when he would scurry to the old shop. Some ingredients for his potions would be difficult to find in the mortal plane, so it required him to meet another magician, an old woman who would travel between the planes to collect these specific ingredients. It is not too far of a walk from the home to the shop, or more specifically the portal that leads to the shop but it goes through one of the more dangerous parts of the city. Not like that is a concern for him.

The magician’s hands are full of bags, a few dangling from his arms while one paper bag is held in his arms. Droplets of water patter gently against his jacket, trickling down the plastic and absorbed into the paper. At least he will be under protection of rooftops and terraces in a few minutes—the pathway home snakes between alleyways and trails dipping beneath bridges. The items held in bags are not in danger getting wet, all contained in bottles or wrapped in plastic to protect them from any damage.

Turning the corner, he jumps a bit when met with three rather burly looking men—all with dark intentions gleaming in their eyes. Muggers, some petty thieves looking for somebody to jump and rob. Teal eyes fall into one that lacks amusement, staring emotionless at the three men as they surround him. Their words are spoken threateningly, yet hardly get a reaction of him. Why should he be afraid? As if they would like what is contained in the bags and he has no such money they could use anywhere. The words are distant, barely registering in his head. There is not reason to be worried about these thugs, such mortals stand no match against a magician such as himself.

“Not scared huh?” One sneers, pushing the man back a few inches as he gets up close and personal, “Maybe we should change that.” His fist raises to punch the other. . . though his hand does not move, rather simply staying in place despite how hard the man tries. The thug glances to his hand, surprised to see it suspended in the air surrounded by a strange teal glow.

“There’s so much more all of us could be doing than dealing with this,” the magician sighs, glancing over his shoulder to the other two, tilting his head with half-lidded eyes, “Do you really want to take on this challenge that you will not win?” They beat their fist into their open palms threateningly, “I take that as a yes. . .” Fools. It has been a while since he has been able to use his magic as self defense or to cause a bit of mischief. What could he do to these ones to make them run away with their tails between their legs?

Without even a chance to react, one of the muggers lets out a scream of agony before falling face first into the ground. The other two quickly look over as they step back, noticing somebody clad in complete black clothing standing atop the fallen man’s back.

The figure giggles dangerously, seeming to glitch out as it rises in pitch and then jumps back. The knife is pulled from the flesh, a pale finger tracing along the blood before licking the sharp blade. The two glance to each other nervously, unsettled as the newcomer nearly shoves the knife into his mouth to clean off the crimson blood. A horrifying sight to watch, yet the one being attacked does not even flinch or blink.

He stands, still atop the body, pointing the blade at the other two, “Come on lads. . . I think it’s a perfect night to add to my body count, and ya can join your friend here,” he gives a vague gesture to the corpse below him. The knife is tossed to the other hand, giving a wide, sharp grin—the dim light reflects making the teeth appear to glow, "So. . . who's first?"

Looking to each other again, the remaining two decide it is not worth the risk and run as fast as they can. A loud, maniacal cackle echoes though the night air, the body violently twitching and growing louder as they run even faster.

“Anti!” The magician snaps before the other could run after the two—knowing very well the intention would be to brutally kill them, “No, leave them be.” They will probably end up dead anyway, even if he tries to stop Anti from being the one to kill them right now. Everyone who ends up on “the list" of the demon usually ended up dead with a few exceptions. If Anti is not the one to end them, those two will mistakenly try to mug somebody with not so much restraint as he has.

Anti turns, glowing green and blue eyes studying him before the knife glitches out of existence, “Tch, taking away the fun.” He kicks the body beneath as he moves towards the other.

“Marvin, Marvin~ don’t you know it’s unwise to be in these parts at this time?” Quickly his expression turns to that of the classical smug glitch. His hips sway with each step, stopping a meter away from the other.

Marvin rolls his eyes, “I could have taken care of myself, Anti. I’m not helpless,” he pulls his hands away from the paper bag, letting it float as a faint teal glow surrounds it to keep it in the air, “But since you are here—” he guides the bag with his magic to plop right down into the arms of Anti, “—you can help carry that.” He grins at the protesting growl from the other, but Anti continues to carry the bag, taking the lead back home.

“What are you doing in this area anyway?” The question falls from Marvin’s lips faster than he could think it through. Anti has always been an enigma, confusing to figure out to say the least. He can act one way but have intentions on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Kindness never really appeared in him, just a moment of suppressed cruelty.

On multiple occasions the demon has vocalized his hatred for all the “egos”, often going out of his way to make their days worse. However, through it all, Marvin has not experienced too many of these instances. Only at the beginning did he encounter the monstrous glitch demon that would try to stab him in his sleep or take over his body to torture the others—that was a whole experience and part of him still cannot forgive Anti for what he made him do. Sometimes he can still hear the screams and pleas of the victims in the back of his mind. . .

Still, over time he has begun to see a difference in the demon, an odd niceness he believed the other was incapable of. Anti smiles around him, something that is not sadistic or cruel—a legit smile that vanishes as soon as it is noticed. He is friendly around the magician, almost protective when somebody else would threaten him.

Everyone had even seen Anti almost get into a fist fight with Schneeplestein when the doctor had purposefully messed up a potion. There is always a purpose behind what the demon does, but what is it for this?

A hum comes from the demon, glancing over to Marvin with a raised eyebrow, “Hmn? Oh,” he shrugs casually, as if it is not something perplexing, “I was just out looking for some entertainment and so happened to come near here. Thought I smelled something familiar so went to check it out.” He sniffs at the air before moving into Marvin’s personal space.

Sniffing at one of the bags he grins a bit, eyeing the magician who looks away sheepishly, “Is that dragon’s blood?”

Teal eyes widen a bit, attention snapping back, “What? How could you know what exactly that is? Dragons don’t exist in this realm!”

The demon grins, backing up a step as he guides both down to the tunnel beneath the bridge—a few cars pass by, one driver ending up to slowing down as he watches two men walk down beneath—two very peculiar looking men.

“Demons don’t technically exist in this realm either, yet here I am. I'd expect you to know very well that I am not from this realm.” Anti muses, turning around as he walks backwards to keep visual contact with the other, “Besides, I keep smelling it from your room when you leave it open and I just can’t help myself but get a lil’ taste.”

The magician huffs, glaring at the giggling entity, “So you're the reason my supply has been depleting faster than it should! That stuff is expensive!” He knows scolding Anti will do nothing, but he can at least try to get some sense in the other, “If you want some why don't you buy it yourself, or exchange it for helping me?”

Anti snorts, “Why would I do that if I can keep sneaking it for free?” He continues his laughter at the narrowed gaze of the magician, “You know you can't stop me from doing it.” He does have a point. Even with his magical abilities he has issues beating Anti, even Jackie's powers struggle. At least the data entity has not been trying anything nasty as of late. Nobody has ended up dead in a long time. With nobody dying recently that means his magic can continue to flourish rather than reset with every death.

“Just. . .” There is no attempt to continuing his words, knowing the glitch will not be listening. Instead, he sighs and lets the air settle back into the absence of their voices. The rest of the journey is left in silence, just enjoying the rain as it grows heavier.

As they approach the door to the home Anti pauses and growls. He does not use the front door, he usually just appears in the house and avoids the others at all costs. This time, he has almost entered like a normal person.

Marvin notices and reaches out his hand to take hold of his arm—a gesture to ground the other and to let him know he is with him. The action gets a confused look from both, yet neither makes a move to disconnect the contact. Instead, teal eyes stare into the blue and green ones, studying.

Slowly, Anti leans closer, gaze scanning across Marvin’s face—is that a hint of uneasiness in the demon’s face? He is intent on staring, those eyes flicking gaze from the teal hues and lower on his face. No, not just the general lower face, but his lips.

“A. . . Anti?” Marvin breaks the lingering silence, his voice a simple whisper.

Before he can get closer the door swings open, getting Marvin to jump and Anti to pull his arm away to glare at the culprit and remove the physical contact. The light from inside battles away the looming darkness, drenching the two in warm illumination.

“Marvin, there you are!” Jackie gasps out, “Are you alright?”

Only a snort is heard before the distinct sound of someone glitching into thin air. Marvin turns, frowning when he notices that indeed the glitch has vanished. Damn it.

“I'm perfectly fine, Jackie,” He does his best to hide the disappointment from bleeding through. What did Anti want to do, why did he look uneasy about what was going to happen? Was he. . .? Teal eyes widen in shock, a realization washing over him: was Anti going to kiss him?! Heat rises to his cheeks, feeling his heart thrum faster inside his chest.

Is the demon even capable of such emotions? What if he has been capable of other emotions, what if their actions have only fueled this negative behavior because that is the only way he can get attention? How long have they been fueling the bitterness in Anti when he could have only wanted some attention? There is no doubt that Anti enjoys the chaos—he is fueled by chaos and revels in bringing destruction upon others—but maybe there is a small pill of desire for something more positive in his existence.

“Marv, honey?” Jackie gently lifts a group of the bags, guiding it from the magician's arm so he can help carry it, “You look like you might collapse, do you need to see Henrik?” As if he would ever want to see that quack of a doctor.

“I'm fine, I promise,” a gentle smile is given, one the hero knows well—a look that asks for the subject not to be talked about, “Can you bring those up to my room with me?”

The hero’s own smile breaks through the frown, giving a nod, “Of course.” He steps to the side, allowing Marvin to lead the way—deep blue eyes glancing back towards the direction of the kitchen, hearing the subtle sound of the familiar static. What was that glitch doing? Nothing ever feels right or good when it comes to the glitchy entity, not even if he was just getting a soda out of the fridge.

He shakes his head; such a thing is not important right now; he can confront the demon in human form later. For now, he focuses on helping Marvin with the potion supplies, climbing up the stairs behind him with ease.

Keen eyes take notice that the magician is struggling a bit to finish the flight of stairs, his free hand gently pressing against his hip. Out of all the egos, Marvin stays stagnant a lot, spending hours over a cauldron creating potions, hunched over a book on his desk or meditating while suspended in the air. The only time he ever gets out is for trips like this one. It is concerning, even to Henrik who is one that does not get along the best with Marvin—both find the others profession to be bullshite which creates a good amount of tension between the two. They have only been able to put things aside and with together if it meant to safety of the others. Even with all their differences, Henrik still cares for Marvin and has began to voice his concern and desire to confront the other about his atrocious habits.

No matter what, they all are concerned about the magician’s health.

“Hey, Marv?” The hero speaks up as the door to the room opens by itself, noticing teal eyes glance slightly towards him, “Have you been out of the house since the last trip to that shop?” Marvin pauses only to keep heading into his room, not replying, “Marv! We're getting worried about you! You haven't been showing up to meals or coming in when we are almost done, you never go outside. . . We're worried about your health. Even Seán is.”

The flinch is noticeable, the hero frowning even further. It is a big thing when their creator gets involved. For the most part Seán keeps out of their lives, wanting them to keep safe. The world would have problems if they figured out the silly characters one YouTuber created ended up becoming real. It is best for the fans not to know they exist, especially for Anti since he gets fueled by their words and creations. Still, occasionally he will poke his head in—sometimes with Evelyn tagging along, the favorite visitor of the gang aside from BB—just to check up on them.

Jackie moves closer to Marvin, placing the bags of ingredients into the small open space upon the desk. He rests a hand on the other’s shoulder, muscles tensing slightly feeling the flinch, “At least, come out to the local café with me tomorrow. I know you can't drink coffee, but they have some good tea drinks which includes mint tea. Please, do it for me if you can't do it for yourself.”

Marvin sighs loudly, meeting his gaze with Jackie's. He is serious about it. . . not going to take no for an answer without an alternative. Time out of the house would be nice. . . “Wait. . . A café?” An eyebrow quirks up, a suspicious glance gracing his visage, “Café and coffee is usually a date thing.” Watching the hero’s face turn nearly as red as his hoodie gets a snort to escape.

It is not a complete surprise; he may not be the master of emotions, but the hero has always shown signs of some sort of attraction towards him, “Will you have time to sit down for a coffee?” Without having to get up and run to save somebody; that part is left out, not wanting to sound too condescending.

“I promise,” Jackie raises his right hand to swear upon his words, “No going off in the middle of it, but that also counts for you. No poofing out in the middle of it.”

This gets a small laugh from Marvin, “Fine, fine. Tomorrow morning we’ll go out for coffee.” He cannot help but laugh more as Jackie gives a bow before leaving—a distinct bounce to his step that was not there before, “Dork.” His attention turns back to the desk, noticing amongst the bags the paper one is sitting on the other side of the desk. It makes him smile a bit, glad that the supplies were there. . . but he would have to check to make sure the dragon's blood is still there.

* * *

“Marvin,” the sudden voice gets him to jump, whipping around to find Anti floating next to him, legs propped above his head in the air as if he was lounging belly down on a couch, “Heh, scared ya didn't I?” He giggles at the glare—knowing it is not a full force one.

“Are you here to steal some dragon's blood?” The first question to come from his mouth.

Anti snorts, “If I was, I wouldn't have talked to you, I would have just slipped it behind your back like I always do. I can mask myself very well if I want to,” He purrs at his own words—the sound drops at the sight eyebrow raise from Marvin, “Right, you then want to know why I'm talking to you then.”

He huffs, shifting to sitting up straight, arms crossed tightly over his chest and the lower parts of his legs pressed against the bottom of his thighs, “It was brought to my attention by a fucking bitch baby that things might happen because of some personal shite.”

“What?” The magician shifts to furrowing his eyebrows in confusion—quickly morphing to surprise when Anti growls out in frustration. Could this be relating to what happened a few days ago? This is the first time Anti has even acknowledged Marvin since that encounter.

A buzz of Marvin's phone is a welcoming relief for both—a moment for the demon to compose himself and the magician to curb the anxiety rising in his gut. He pulls up the messages, seeing they are from Chase.

[ BroAverage ] heya Marv heads up

[ BroAverage ] Glitch Bitch is on your way asking about

[ BroAverage ] Like I dont know how to describe

[ BroAverage ] date stuff? 😨

Teal eyes glance up, noticing the annoyed expression wash over Anti’s face. Did. . .

[ GlitchBitch ] hey gobshite

[ GlitchBitch ] D̴͔̟̚ö̵͖͈́̚ṇ̸̥̝͑t̸̪̲̆ ̸̫̩̽u̸̳̼̯̔̔͝ṣ̶͈͓͒̓̊e̵̡͐̇ ̶̟̤̟͛͝t̸̛̛͇h̴̡̜̠͆e̸̻̠̣̒͛̕ ̶͎̠̺̅̿g̶͔͊͠r̶̞̈́̈́ȯ̶͖͖͙͊ǘ̴̻p̸̲̤̕ ̸͈̈́̈́̂c̴̞͆̊h̶̢̄̀̕a̶͍̟̙̐̑t̸͍̾̏ ̸͉̄ą̷͈̻̓͝s̷̟̑̈́͠s̶̞̾h̴̯̜̓̕a̵̢̙̒t̴̳̉̊͝

[ BroAverage ] o shit

[ AboveAverageHero ] Excuse me WHAT?!?!?! 😡

[ GlitchBitch ] f̴̺̓u̸̥̼̎̕c̵̼̲̀̄k̶̢̖̎̈́̓ͅ ̸̞̼̙̊o̷̞͑͊̚f̸̞̭̗̌ḟ̴͓̤

“Anti?” The distinct sound of glitches and static crackling in the air is a key sign of the other’s heightened emotions. Marvin holds his breath, making eye contact with Anti to see his eyes pure black. Shite, “H-hey, Anti, stay with me. Listen to me—” he does not take his own safety into account, approaching the other to cup his cheeks in both hands, “—right now. It is not worth it, alright?” He knows well enough that Chase could be in great danger if he cannot calm the glitch. Even with Anti being in a calmer state, there are still times where he will lash out on heightened emotions, which does also include the desire to stab and kill others.

Anti’s body twitches and convulses beneath his touch, his head held in place. Pieces of his body break off in small pixels before reappearing. The giggling gets unnerving—a mix between the sadistic glee and something like pain. Every glitched pixel that hits Marvin’s skin sends a small electric shock into him, but he ignores it.

Marvin waits a moment before the glitch pushes closer—surprised when the arms wrap around his body. Anti presses close, burying his head in his shoulder and hands grip at the edge of the dark vest.

“Shh. . . it’s okay,” the magician softly whispers, putting his own arms around the other. Feeling the body so close to him glitch is a sensation he cannot properly describe, like he is holding something but in a matter of seconds it could be gone. Not to mention the sparks of electric piercing his skin and nerves every second.

So, he holds on tightly, lifting the other a bit to move towards the bed—a more comfortable place to sit. He can sense the body of the data demon growing weaker, supporting his weight on his own body before setting them both down on the bed, “It’ll be okay. Chase fucked up, but that’s fine.” It is a bit odd to hear that Anti went to Chase for some advice, or that it was Chase who confronted Anti about it. The only one that knew about the close interaction was the young father.

Fingers run through the long green hair, smiling a bit as the twitching and glitches start to clam down, “Anti?” He waits to see the green and blue hues looking up at him—a relief to see color rather than the pure black, “Can I ask what bullshite ideas Chase tried to give you?”

A weak laugh comes from him at first, “His first suggestion w-was a sports game,” this gets a grimace from the magician, “Yeah, fucking stupid ide-ea. Suggested dinner at some re-restaurant, going to a ‘café’ or like goin’ to the park.”

Anti rolls his eyes, resting his chin on Marvin’s shoulder, “I told him no wonder hi-his relationship failed with that greedy bitch if that was his ideas of a date night.” It is odd to hear the stuttering, not in a human way but like a video that jumps back a second to fix itself or was forced back that second.

Marvin cackles at that louder than he would like to admit—or will ever admit. The cheeky grin from Anti gets him to settle into a soft chuckle, “I think it’s other reasons why it failed, but still.” He brushes back a few strands of hair, “I don’t think anyone could get you into a suit or something besides those ripped jeans.”

“Tch, I don’t want to look like that fucker ‘Darkiplier’ in a stupid penguin suit,” the demon sticks his tongue out at the idea.

“And I don’t think you would work well in such crowded places,” Marvin hums his thoughts, continuing to stroke the other’s head, “I would rather not see what happens with you in a contained space with more than two people including yourself and that is not the lads.”

“Lots of blood,” the response is purred, Anti gently leaning into the touch of the magician, “Not pleasant for others but a lot of fun for me.”

It is odd to see the differences, how calm the ravenous demon can be when moments before had troubles keeping his presence intact. It makes him smile how much Anti can change around him, how calm he can be. A time like this could make him almost forget that Anti had tried to kill them all on multiple occasions or brutally tortured them.

Weight starts to press against him, watching as Anti's eyes start to struggle to keep open. Most days the demon seems to be full of energy, but after sessions like this, he gets drained, “Hey, Anti?” Sleepy eyes look up at him, “Would you like to stay here, get some rest?”

The only response is a quiet huff, Anti burying his head into Marvin’s chest. It is close enough to a yes.

Gently, he leans back so both are laying upon the bed, snuggling close to each other. Anti is the first to drift off, and soon Marvin follows—lulled off to sleep by the soft snores of the demon. Not a care, not even noticing Jackie standing at the doorway.

Jackie hesitates, wanting to wake up Anti, but that would most likely wake up Marvin—and that is the opposite of what he wants for the magician. No, he will wait until morning to interrogate the Glitch about what Chase mentioned in the chat.

Does Anti really want to date Marvin or is this another ploy to manipulate the magician? He needs to know and the sooner he can, the better. Despite how much he wants to try for something between the two of them, he is not sure Marvin could click well with him. Marvin is a man of mischief and dazzling glamor. A part of him knows it may not work out, but another part hopes that they could still remain close friends no matter the end result.

Jackie sighs, shaking his head before heading to his own room. He will not give up easily if there is still hope.

* * *

It has become quite odd for their little unit as of late. Tension has risen between hero and demon, Anti often going out of his way to torment Jackie, to push him out of the house in order to have time alone with Marvin.

Really, Marvin had never felt what it was like to be pined for by two people. Most of the time attention would be drawn to the others while he was left back in the shadows. Now, he is the center of attention for both Jackie and Anti—something that has started to exhaust the magician.

It is nice, that is not what he complains about, but not having his alone time is what exhausts him. Jackie is always helpful to get him out of the house, to look after his own health. Anti is more of the side of assisting in spells and potions while giving him time to relax. The evenings of laying on the couch snuggled up while watching the random cartoon Henrik put on for Robbie are quickly becoming fond moments to recall. Though, the shopping trips with Jackie are a welcomed change just to go places with good company.

It all still pulls on his heart, making him ache and pull himself thin. How could he choose? He knows the others would be unsettled if he decided to pair with Anti, but even they have seen a side of the data demon they all thought to be impossible when he is around Marvin. Anti would become warm and sweet, bringing in gifts—though usually stolen—and is learning how to show compassion. The progress seen in the last few weeks with their bond growing would have no chance of happening in any other circumstance.

In truth, he leans towards the demon oddly. Around Jackie Marvin can feel comfortable, but he can tell there is a small rift stopping them from getting closer. Even if the past is in the past, the fact Marvin was once a wilder of dark magic and on the darker-grey side would never go away in the hero’s mind.

“Are ya gonna talk about the fact you are dabbling in dark magic again?” Anti hums as he reveals his presence officially to the magician who is currently in the process of creating a potion, “Didn't you tell them you stopped with that stuff?”

He knows the questions are not asked in a malicious manner—for once from the glitch—but it still makes him flinch, “It's not so easy to just go cold turkey. It is kinda like an addiction: I can't live without it and forcing myself away from it immediately gives nasty side effects.” He pops the stopper back in the crystalline vial before setting it to the side.

Anti snickers softly as he stands, sauntering over to Marvin, “So side effects such as bad decisions like getting involved with a demon?”

The words are met with a soft laugh and a shoulder glance as the demon gets mere centimeters away, “I think that's far away from a side effect since I've been doing that for a month now. I think that's just a death wish.” He allows himself to be turned around by gently guiding hands, his back slightly pushed against the desk.

“Well sorry to disappoint but death is not going to be involved.” Anti gives a faux frown as he leans in closer, “I don't feel like it this time.”

Marvin delivers a slightly sly grin, raising his arms to rest upon Anti's shoulders, “Too bad. If that's the case, then. . . What do you feel like doing?”

It does not take long to get a response: instead of words to express it, the glitch presses even closer to have their lips meet in an oddly tender kiss for the other. Lingering for moments they only pull back when Marvin needs to breath, his face growing a light red blush, “A-ah, that's what you want.” He smiles before going in to give another kiss, pulling Anti closer as the other’s hands wrap around his waist.

In the heat of the moment, Anti shifts to lift Marvin up so he sits on the desk—pushing the small cauldron back on the surface to make room—seizing control of the kiss to increase the intensity and passion of the kiss. Moments it is broken for an intake of air only to return. Every kiss is taken in, memorized even as Anti teases a bit and licks at Marvin's lips. It is all taken in.

When they part this time, Marvin keeps close, his eyes half-lidded, “Anti, I want to know something.” The small flinch from the glitched demon gets him to frown slightly, “Why did you choose me? I know I played a part of you getting into this world, but. . .” He trails fingers along Anti’s jawline, brushing through the growing beard, “Why am I the one you choose to bond with?”

Anti remains silent a moment, idly running his thumbs up and down the magician's hips, touching sensitive skin as the digits rest beneath the dark vest and brilliant blue shirt.

“I'm not quite sure truthfully,” he admits with a small shrug, “I gave you some slack being an assistance in my appearance in this world and eventually I found it more fun to bother the others—you gave me a challenge the others never gave, you could stand up to me in a fight better than the hero. You messed with my plans by teleporting Chase before I could get at him, taking their place in death, and being able to face me longer than any other.”

The two-colored eyes seem to lose focus, zoning into his own memories of the past, “Perhaps it started out as an obsession when we all settled into this place, a more continuous exposure. Maybe all of you have rubbed off on me and made me soft.”

With the growl of frustration, it can be told perhaps the entity is not fully pleased about the series of events, “Maybe I realized it was more than an obsession when that hero started pining for your attention. It. . . hurt. And then that idiot went and blabbed to the whole group—including Seán—it made me realize how much I wanted to have you. . . To be with you.”

“I'm an entity of data and antimatter, but. . .” Anti huffs, giving another oddly gentle kiss, “I don't feel so hollow with you.”

“Awh,” Marvin gives a beaming smile, pressing in for another long, passionate kiss, “Who knew Antimatter could have such feelings besides being stabby and an arsehole?”

He snorts, “I can still be those things,” still, he purrs softly at the kiss. His own smile grows, nuzzling into Marvin's neck, “But maybe a bit less for you.”

A minute of simply staring at each other passes before Anti speaks again in a quieter tone, “Can we do that thing we do? Holding each other without hurting.”

“Cuddling?” the magician teases lightly, his smile growing even softer at the small nod from the glitch, “Of course. I couldn't say no to that.” It still amazes him to see Anti so calm, so human-like in moments like this. It feels unreal to see It, not the cruel grin as the demon tortures one of them but the gentle smile curving pale lips. If he believed in a higher power, Marvin would swear he was blessed to behold such a sight. He could spend all day wrapped in Anti’s arms. Odd to think he finds solace and comfort in the arms of one who was against him for so long.

They linger in the position, Anti shifting slightly to plant a soft peck to Marvin's lips. Then, he rests his forehead against the other, letting his eyes fall closed.

“Marv?” Anti pauses to open his eyes, greeted by curious teal hues, “I couldn't be happier. . .” clawed fingers move, trailing through the long, loose brown hair that shifts into the classic teal, “I couldn't fathom myself being so happy with something so human as this but, nothing has made me feel this way before. You. . .” He gives a cease in words to deliver a deeper kiss to the magician's lips, “You don't try to change me or look at me with hatred or pity. You always challenged my fire, looked at me like I wasn't some unlovable monster."

He giggles softly, the glitching and pitch shift absent, “You make me feel human, and I don't mind it one bit.”

For what felt like eons, Marvin stares with widened eyes and mouth slightly agape in awe. When Anti gives a small concerned raise of an eyebrow, he snaps into reality.

“Antimatter,” the nickname is filled to the brim with fondness, his hand meeting the one intertwined in his own hair, “I don't want to change you, because you are perfect for me the way you are—” He sticks out his tongue when the other snorts, “—You got your time to be mushy now it's mine. But. . .”

He pulls in, returning the favor on the kisses before, “I chose you because even if you can be a right sadistic bastard, you still have the softness I thought wasn’t possible. You can be tender and passionate, wicked but sweet. You understand I'm not a hero not a villain. I am—” He pauses trying to figure a word to describe it.

Anti hums, stealing a kiss before giving his own finish to the thought, “You’re just you. My marvelous Marvin. . . the heart that completes me.”

Marvin giggles this time, shaking his head lightly as his arms settle back around shoulders, “Alright, you’re gonna give me cavities with all this if you don't stop.” His gaze trails to the doorway, thinking aloud, “I heard Henrik plans to put on Courage the Cowardly Dog for Robbie in a few. Want to go watch that? It's a great show and the others will be out with some outing planned with Seán.”

“And they didn't bother to invite us?” The demon gives a faux insulted gasp.

“As if you would want to go.”

“Not unless you came.” He corrects.

“Well, I want to watch Courage, which also means we have the whole couch to ourselves for a good few hours minimum.” Marvin gives a cheeky grin, watching the gears grind in Anti’s head before he too grins, “I'll bet that is a yes on the couch cuddling.” He presses in another kiss, holding on a bit tighter knowing what happens next.

In the blink of an eye, they are both down in the living room, a bit lopsided on the couch but it is a quick readjustment to get into a comfortable position. As they lay together, Marvin's back pressed against Anti's chest the white eyes of the zombie housemate look to them.

“Anti-Marvin official?” Robbie tilts his head as purple strands fall over his face.

Marvin smiles, “Yeah.“

The zombie responds with a small group of claps muffled by the blankets he is nested in and beams, “Robbie happy for you.”

“Me too, Robbie,” the magician hums, leaning his head back enough to give a kiss to the underside of Anti’s jawline, “Me too.”


End file.
